Band-saw mill.



A. D. GATLIN. BAND sAw MILL.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 11, 1909.

992,160. Patented May 16, 1911.

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A. D. GATLIN. BAND SAW MILL. APPLIOATION mum 001*. 11, 1909.

992,160 Patented May 16, 1911.

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A. D. CATLINQ BAND SAW MILL.

APPLIOATION rnnnoo'r. 11, 1909.

Patented May 16, 1911.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ABEL D. CATLIN, 0F CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE.

BAND-SAW MILL.

To all whom "it may concern:

Be it known that I, ABEL I). CATLIN, citizen of the United States,residing at Ghatta-- nooga, Tennessee, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Band-Saw Mills, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to band mills employing a saw or cutter in the formof an endless band, and it concerns more particularly means for guidingthe band saw at a point adjacent to the log or other piece being sawed.

The invention consists in the features of construction and combinationand arrangement of parts hereinafter described and particularly pointedout in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of a band millembodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a rear view of the machine with myimprovements in place; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the band saw guide withthe bracket for supporting the same, and guideway and motor cylinder;Fig. 4 is a rear view of the guide, its movable bracket and operatingmeans.

In these drawings, the band cutter or saw 1 is of substantially ordinaryform, it passing around guide wheels 2, the lower one of which is driventhrough a pulley 3 on the same shaft 4 with the band cutter. The log orarticle to be sawed is present-ed to the band saw in a manner well knownto those skilled in the art, the log being here indicated at a. In orderto guide the saw adjacent to its point of work, I provide a guidingdevice consisting of a pair of plates or arms 5, 5, arranged parallelwith each other, and with a space between them, the said arms havingfixedly mounted, on their opposing ends, pieces 6, leaving a crevicebetween them of a width equal to the thickness of the band saw, the saidpieces presenting wearing surfaces for the accurate guidance of the sawadjacent its point of work. a pivot pin 7 mounted in the lower end of anarm 8, which is pivotally mounted at 9 to a bracket 10, which brackethas its rear portion provided with flanges 11 embracing verticallyextending guideways 12, which are fixed to the framework of the machinein any suitable manner, as at 18 in Fig. 2. The guide arms 5, with theirpin 7, are associated with a supplemental arm 14 fixed to the pin 7 andextending laterally therefrom, the end of said arm being pivotallyconnect- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 11, 1909.

The guide arms are carried by Patented May 16, 1911.

Serial No. 522,053.

ed at 15 to a link 16 which, at its upper end, is pivotally mounted at17 on the bracket 10, and in the same horizontal plane with the pivot t)of the supporting arm 8 of the band saw guide. The pivots 7 and 15, atthe lower ends of the arm 8 and link 16, respectively, are also in thesame horizontal plane. The arm 8 and the link 16 are free to turn abouttheir upper pivots, and are thus adapted to allow the guide arms 5 tomove rearwardly in respect to the band saw, and this action will takeplace whenever a protuberance or knot on the log strikes the end of theguide arms 5. In other words, the guide arms may be set in positionclose to the point of work, and they will accommodate themselvesautomatically to irregularities on the surface of the log being sawed,for should a projecting knot or other protuberance or irregular portionarrive at the point where the saw is operating, and strike the guide,the said guide will recede laterally, at the same time maintaining itsparallelism with its original position, but lifting slightly due to therising are through which the pivots 7 and 15 move when the arm 8 andlink 16 swing to one side. This arrangement will permit the sawing orcutting action to be continued, and when the knot or protuberance passesfrom beneath the guide arms 5, the said arms will remain in their newposition and hold the guide up so that on the return of the log theprotuberance or knot will pass freely thereby. This effect is due to themounting of the pin 7 in the split end of the bracket 10, and thepressure which is brought to bear on the pin by tightening the clampingnuts 7 By the arrangement described, it will be noticed that the sawguide can be adjusted close to the point of work, and no damage orbreakage will result from the arrival of the knots or protuberances atthe cutting point, or the travel thereof past the band saw guide.

In order to adjust the saw guide vertically, the bracket 10, as abovestated, is mounted on the guide 12, and rods 18 extend up from theirpoint of connection with the base of the bracket at 19 to a crosshead 20connected with a piston rod 21, the piston of which operates within acylinder 22 mounted on the frame of the apparatus, and to which motivefluid is supplied in any suitable manner to raise or lower the pistonand the connected guide bracket, and to hold said parts in theiradjusted position.

In machines of this character it is necessary to place a tension strainon the band saw in order to make it cut straight and stay on the wheels.Mechanism for this general purpose is usual in machines using band saws.In my machine, I employ for this purpose a shaft 23 which is milledon-each 'end to provide knife edges 24:, 25. The ends of screws 26 areseated in and are free to revolve in the knife edges 24 The upper endsof these screws are free to rotate in the columns 27 which, in turn, arefree to move vertically in the main standard or housing. A. weight lever28 is fixed to the shaft 23, so that it tends to turn the same and causethe edges 24; to lift the screws 26 and the columns 27, and thus raisethe upper band carrying wheel upwardly, and by adjusting weights on thelever, the desired tension may be obtained on the band saw. The lowerknife edges rest on blocks 29 which, in turn, rest on springs 30adjustable by screws 30 and interposed blocks 30, and these springscarry the total weight of the upper wheel and its supports.

It sometimes happens that splinters, pieces of bark, or other matterdrops between the band saw and the periphery of-the lower wheel, and insome cases, will cause the band saw to break in case the upper wheelcOuld not lower quickly enough to relieve the strain. In my machine, theautomatic relief just mentioned is derived from the use of the springs30 which allow the shaft 23 to lower, together with the upper wheel whenany obstructive material, such as chips, bark, etc., lodge between theband saw and the surface of the lower Wheel.

For adjusting the upper wheel so that its surface will be in ahorizontal plane, and thus maintain the saw thereon, I provide handwheels 31 which are connected to worm shafts 32 mounted in ears ofcollars 33, the said shafts carrying each a wormto mesh with the wormwheel 34, which are connected with the nuts 35 which work on the screwsCopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Gommissioner of Patents 26, so that, by turning the nuts, the screwsmay be moved up or down to adjust the axis of the upper wheel to make itrun in a vertical plane.

I claimas my invention:

1. In combination with a band saw, a pivoted depending arm, a guidemounted pivotally on the lower end of said arm to yield in the directionof-feed of the ma terial operated on, and to rise from the path of saidmaterial by swinging on the pivot of said arm, means for maintainingsaid guide horizontal during its movement, and means for frictionallycontrolling the pivotal movement of the arm so that the guide may remainin the position to which it is elevated, substantially as described.

2. 'In combination in a band saw, a guide extending horizontally andhaving a laterally extending pin, an arm pivoted at its upper end, andsupporting the said laterally exending pin at its lower end, which pinis adapted to turn in the arm, an arm extending from the pin rearwardlyand in a plane parallel with the guide, and a supplemental arm pivotallysupported at its upper end and pivotally connected at its lower end withthe rearwardly extending arm, substantially as described.

3. In combination with a band saw, a guide, a pivotally mounteddepending arm to which the guide is pivoted, said guide having arearwardly extending arm, a supplemental arm pivotally connected to therearwardly extending arm and pivotally supported at its upper end, and afriction clamp device at the pivot of the depending arm for placing saidarm under frictional restraint, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.I

ABEL D. OATLIN.

Vvitnesses M. V. MINOR, A. R. MCKENZIE, Jr.

Washington, I). G.

